The Carlo Beni Ornithological Museum

Study the bird life of the Casentino forest

Stia

The Carlo Beni Ornithological Museum is housed in an old farmhouse adjacent to the Palagio Fiorentino. The museum documents the bird life of the Casentino area, including a display of species which are now extinct. It is next door to the Visitors’ Centre of the Parco Nazionale delle Foreste Casentinesi (the Casentino Forests National Park), in Stia. This Visitors’ Centre is home to reproductions of small statues which were unearthed at the Lago degli Idoli archaeological site and a scale model of the territory covered by the park.

The collection in the Ornithology Museum was gathered together by a local Casentino notary called Carlo Beni. Beni was an erudite man who also wrote the ‘Guida del Casentino’, a guide to the local area. Above all, he was passionate about natural science. His ornithological collection was first given to the elementary school in Stia in 1900 and was then bought by the Town Council. In 1981, the collection was moved and the museum was opened to the public.

The municipality of Pratovecchio Stia is located in the unmistakable landscape of the Casentino, surrounded by evocative forests and places of worship, the perfect scenery for those who love nature, mountains and hiking. Indeed, a visit to the Parco Nazionale delle Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona e Campigna is just the ticket. ...